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Discover the physical geography, climate, and agricultural specialization of the North American Realm. Explore the regions, urbanization, cultural pluralism, and population distribution across the continent. Learn about the diverse physiographic regions, from the Pacific Mountains to the Appalachian Highlands, and understand the climate variations influenced by air masses from the Arctic and Gulf of Mexico. Gain insights into agricultural practices, urban centers linked with processing, and the impact of immigration on cultural diversity. Join us on an educational journey through the North American landscape!
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The Landscape • Continentalism • High urbanization and mobility levels. • Cultural pluralism, or cultural diversity: • Linked with historical immigration from different regions of Europe. • Reinforced after the 1970s with immigration from Latin America and Asia. • Canada: • Second largest country in the world. • The longest non-militarized border in the world (8,900 km). • Trade agreement since 1989. • Several similarities but different societies. • US: • Fourth largest country in the world. • 48 continental (conterminous or contiguous) states.
Regions of the Realm • The Continental Interior • Dominance of agriculture: • Constitute a tremendous agricultural resource for a sparsely populated population. • Spring wheat in the north: • Planted in the early Spring and harvested in the early Fall. • Winter wheat in the south: • Planted in the Fall and harvested in the Spring. • Corn / soybean in the middle: • Soybeans are the cheapest source of protein. • Rotated with corn production. • Urban centers linked with agricultural processing: • Indianapolis, Chicago, Kansas City.
The Landscape • Population clusters • Urbanization, immigration and cultural pluralism. • Smaller US territory but greater environmental range. • 320 million “dispersed” population with concentrations along the East and West Coasts. • The majority of the Canadian population (35 million) lives 300 km from the border. • The continental population living east of the realm’s middle line.
North America’s Physical Geography: Physiographic Regions • Diverse physiographic regions • Each exhibit natural landscape homogeneity. • Well defined. • Some high-relief regions: • Pacific Mountains. • Rocky Mountains. • Appalachian Mountains. • Some lowland regions: • Great Plains. • Interior Lowlands. • Various Coastal Plains.
North America’s Physical Geography: Physiographic Regions • Gulf-Atlantic Coastal Plain • Drained by many short rivers which flow from the interior to the coast. • Some areas barely above sea level (Florida, Gulf Coast). • Piedmont • Foothills to the east of the Appalachian highlands. • Early settlements often were made at the fall line to take advantage of water power & because it was a break-in-bulk point. • Appalachian Highlands • Low, old mountain range. • No major impediment to transportation. • Resource area – coal, iron ore etc. • Interior Highlands • A dissected plateau known as the Ozarks.
North America’s Physical Geography: Physiographic Regions • Interior Lowlands • Much of the best agricultural land. • Parent material for the soil for much of the area is glacial till. • Canadian Shield (encircles Hudson Bay) • The oldest rock formations in North America. • The “anchor” of the North American continent. • Very thin soil – developed after the last glacial advance. • Arctic coastal Plain (south coast Hudson Bay) • Cold area – difficult to develop. • Permafrost.
North America’s Physical Geography: Physiographic Regions • Great Plains • Semi-arid area – gets drier from east to west. • Wheat growing areas of U.S. and Canada. • Rocky Mountains • North-South orientation affects climate. • Storehouse of many minerals. • Lumbering & winter-sport tourism. • Younger mountains than Appalachians, therefore more of an impediment to transportation.
North America’s Physical Geography: Physiographic Regions • Intermontane Basins & Plateaus • Rather dry area. • North/south oriented – Between the Rockies and Sierra Nevada/Cascade ranges. • Pacific Mountains and Valleys • First interruption of westerly winds (orographic precipitation) – north-south orientation. • Three large, useful valleys: • California’s Central Valley. • Cowlitz-Puget Sound lowland of Washington and Oregon. • Lower Fraser Valley in British Columbia.
North America’s Physical Geography: Climate • Climate • Very diversified, ranging from continental humid to sub tropical. • Large tracks of land are suitable for agriculture. • Relatively simple weather system: • Varies from west to east. • Influenced by air masses moving from the arctic (cold and dry) and from the gulf of Mexico (hot and wet). • Humid east experiences weather extremes due to frigid Arctic and subtropical seasonal air masses. • The southeast section of the United States: • A high precipitation level. • Result of movements of air masses from the gulf of Mexico. • Subject to tropical storms coming from the South Atlantic.
North America’s Physical Geography: Climate • North America is under the influence of Pacific, Arctic and Tropical air masses. • This distribution of land, sea and mountains produces a highly variable weather. • From one day to another, mild, sunny air from the Rocky Mountains may replace moist, warm, cloudy tropical air and then give way to cold Arctic air.
Seasonal Air Flowover North America NAVAIR, 1966 January April July October
North America’s Physical Geography: Climate • East/west gradient in precipitation • Wet air from the Pacific. • When reaching the coastal chain and the Sierra Nevada is forced to gain altitude. • Air cooling process forces precipitation over the West Side of these mountain chains. • Once the ridges passed over, the air becomes dryer. • Rainshadow effect of the western mountains: • Blocks moisture to the Great Plains. • Low level of rain falling over the high plateaus and the western part of the Great Plains. • As it moves east, air masses gain in humidity through land evaporation and precipitation levels rise.
Precipitation in North America Cold Temperature Precipitation Hot & Dry Hot & Wet Explain the North American climate system
North America’s Physical Geography: Great Lakes and Great Rivers • Two great drainage systems between the Rockies and Appalachians: • Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River into the northern Atlantic. • Mississippi-Missouri Rivers into a delta on the Gulf of Mexico. • Both have been modified by human engineering: • Dams (hydroelectricity and flood control). • Canals (navigation; St. Lawrence Seaway). • Irrigation.
European Settlement and Expansion • Indigenous North Americans • Known as Native Americans or First Nations. • Settled North America more than 14,000 years ago. • Formed hundreds of nations living in adaption with their physiographic regions. • Devastated by arrival and expansion of Europeans. • Displaced from their homelands. • Native American nations relegated to impoverished and isolated reservations.
European Settlement and Expansion • European colonies • Current population geography a legacy of French and British settlement. • Diversified local economies (e.g. plantation system in the south). • American Revolution and opening of the West. • Interior lowlands favorable to farming and settlement. • Political acquisition of western territories made by new state by purchase or concession.
Territorial Definition • The Anglo-American cultural space • Prominence of English institutions. • Latin America (Spanish and Portuguese cultural origin). • A few exceptions: • French Canada, Hawaii, US/Mexico border regions, southeast Florida, First Nations and the Black population. • Immigration is changing this space. • English remains the language of power and business. • Facilitates mobility. • Religion • Christianity dominant in the U.S. • Regional denomination diversity. • Religious tolerance for most; Islam a contemporary exception.
The Federal Map of North America • Similarities between US and Canada • Internal political geographies • Dominated by straight-line boundaries. • Elsewhere, physical features mark boundaries. • Result delimiting prior to settlement. • The Canada US border: • Settlements and natural features in the east (e.g. St. Lawrence / Great Lakes). • Straight line in the west (49 degrees north latitude line). • Federal state structures • Each country’s subdivisions vary in their significance. • Provinces (Canada) and States (US).
The Distribution of Natural Resources • Uneven distribution of natural resources • Resource rich states benefit from high commodity prices while other may be negatively impacted. • E.g. Texas / Alberta vs California / Ontario. • The situation reverses during a commodity bust. • Water • Relatively well-supplied. • Water based vs irrigation-based agriculture. • Concerns for future supply: • Arid Southwest and Great Plains rely on other areas for water. • Overuse of ground water aquifers lowers water table.
The Distribution of Natural Resources • Abundant mineral reserves • Fossil fuels or oil, natural gas and coal energy sources. • Oil: • Not enough to satisfy demand, so imports are necessary. • Oil dependence has been an enduring national policy issue. • Substantial growth in domestic supply due to new technologies such as tar sands and oil shale. • Alternative energy sources, especially nuclear power, are not well-developed, but growing fast. • Natural gas: • Usually associated with oil. • Mainly used for power generation. • Coal: • Among the world’s largest reserves.
Petroleum Production, Consumption and Imports, United States, 1949-2015
What is observed in the locations of North America’s natural resources and its population distribution?
Urbanization and the Spatial Economy: Industrial Cities • Industrialization and urbanization in tandem • A new urban system • Cities specialized in raw materials or manufacturing. • Interconnected by growing transportation network. • American Manufacturing Belt: • Emerged as foundation of the North American Core. • Mostly linked with steel and the automotive sector. • Shifting spatial economy • Primary sector in decline due to mechanization. • Secondary sector growth and decline. • Tertiary sector expansion.
Urbanization and the Spatial Economy: Realm of Railroads • Rail transportation • Initiated an integrated continental-scale economy. • Rail predominantly for cargo, not passengers. • Intermodal cargo from ships to trucks and rail. • Transcontinental (completed in 1869) • From New York to San Francisco. • Journey was reduced from 6 months by trail to 1 week by train. • The industrial East could access to the resources of the West. • Decline and revival • Strong decline from then 1950s; competition from the Interstate. • Revival since the 1980s with intermodal cargo. • Revival as shipping costs decline and international trade grows. • New boom requires adding to the rail system.
Urbanization and the Spatial Economy: Deindustrialization and Suburbanization • Transportation and communication innovations increased interconnectedness and mobility. • Evolution of the outer city • Residential suburbia had its own businesses and industries, entertainment, and other amenities. • Relative decline in the central city. • Car dependent suburbs. • Coincided with deindustrialization • Loss of manufacturing jobs meant opportunities were found in suburbia. • Those who could, moved out of the inner city.
Urbanization and the Spatial Economy: The Information Economy and City Regions • Information economy • For some cities, helped recovery from deindustrialization and high employment. • Rising employment in tertiary and quaternary service-based sectors. • Information-based economic activity is found in established CBDs, on urban fringes or in suburbs. • Silicon Valley: world’s leading center for computer research and development. • Favorable combination of locational dynamics: • Amenities (quality of life). • Research institutions. • Telecommunications.
Urbanization and the Spatial Economy: Polycentric Cities • Multiple centers • CBD still at the center. • Outer city’s have their own CBDs. • Gentrification • Land-use changes and urban neighborhood restoration. • Raises property values and taxes. • Displaces former low income residents with newer more affluent ones. • Megaregions • A system of connected cities. • Often along a corridor.
The Making of a Multicultural Realm: The Virtues of Mobility and Immigration • Changing population distribution and character: • Center of gravity of U.S. population is moving southward to the Sunbelt, aided by air conditioning. • Other major migrations: • Urbanization. • Rural to urban movement of African Americans. • Suburbanization and beyond. • Return of African Americans to southern cities. • Steady influx of global immigrants.
The Migration Process… • Both United States and Canada are products of international migration, or permanent relocation • Migration decision • Depends on perception, information, and distance. • Push and pull factors motivate or attract. • Destination • North America is a “land of opportunity.” • Immigration is 40 percent of growth.
Immigration to the United States, 1820-2015 (Millions) Latin America Asia Southeast Europe Germany Scandinavia British Isles
The Making of a Multicultural Realm: The Challenge of Multiculturalism • Growing pluralism • Transnationalism and beyond national borders: • The Hispanic population in the US is half of Mexico. • More African Americans than in Kenya. • Miami: second largest Cuban city after Havana. • Montreal: second largest French city after Paris. • Melting pot • Blended cultures. • Contested by increasing ethnic and cultural complexity. • Mosaic culture • Heterogeneous complex of separate, distinct groups. What type of society results from multiculturalism? Melting pot or mosaic culture or both?
The Making of a Multicultural Realm: The Challenge of Multiculturalism • In the United States… • Sufficient immigrant numbers allow the creation of a durable society within the national society. • Challenge of “undocumented” immigration and debate over border security are political hot topics. • In Canada… • Critical labor shortages provide context for immigration policies. • Policy is balanced according to employment and demographic needs in various regions.
Immigrants: How Many Can North America Accommodate? • Benefits • Part of the region’s history; the “melting pot”. • Fuels economic growth. • Not just unskilled, but also skilled and educated. • Native population is aging, and immigration brings youth. • Illegal immigration should be curbed. • Limitations • High level of legal immigrants is unsustainable. • Demands for social services strain state budgets (welfare). • Immigrants displace working class Americans by accepting lower wages. • Amnesty for illegal immigrants attracts more; a security issue. Write a short essay depicting your views on the immigration debate.
